Monday, 10 December 2007

I don't usually do much deep frying. The greasy smell of cooked oil tends to hang around the house and cling to my clothes and hair in a way that's not terribly pleasant. But sometimes the urge for certain food overcomes my aversion.

The term 'Tonkatsu' comes from the word 'katsu' meaning cutlet and 'tonkatsu' means breaded and fried cutlet. It is coated in very light and fluffy Japanese breadcrumbs called Panko. Panko is made from wheat bread but it has a crisper, airier texture than most types of bread crumbs found in Western cooking. It is easily found in Asian stores and supermarkets. Tonkatsu is usually serve with shredded cabbage and tonkatsu sauce, which has a thick consistency and slightly fruity taste. The sauce can be made or store bought, of which the most popular is Bulldog brand. I didn't have any on hand so we ate it with some Thai sweet chilli (which Andy likes way too much). Delicious with jasmine or short grain rice.

Season the pork cutlets with salt and pepper and dust lightly with plain flour. Dip the them first in egg and then in the plate of breadcrumbs, coating liberally. Pat the breadcrumbs into the pork to make sure that they stick well. If you have the time, put the coated pork cutlets into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes for the coating to set. Otherwise, just heat up some oil and deep fry the cutlets till they are golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and slice into strips when cool. Drizzle tonkatsu sauce on top and serve immediately.

hiThis fried pork looked so delicious..We dont eat pork so i can do it with chicken right?This is a suggestion wouldnt a more spicy rice be more delicious with pork instead of white rice.In india we make something called pulao or biryani which is spicy rice.when you read my blog you will find some recipes..

mahek: Oh yes, you can definitely do the same with chicken. You might have to flatten the chicken breast fillet a bit (with a rolling pin or meat tenderiser, or my mum just used her heavy stone pestle!) to make sure it is nice and thin to cook evenly.

I love biryani! I guess we have a more 'plain' palate so something fried goes nicely with plain rice. I would just devour biryani on its own with a bit of curry gravy, heh.